BUNGIE - E3 2000
Bungie continues to impress. This year was similar to previous E3 shows, where Bungie did not have a large booth, but they were lean and mean, continuing to only show strong titles. After talking to Doug Zartman at Bungie, I learned that fans of real time strategy games would not be seeing a Myth 3 anytime soon. Instead, they continue to innovate by producing high quality titles that push existing genres to new levels. Oni, which was first shown at last years E3 show was here again, but looking much more complete. Most impressive was their new game 'Halo', which was shown in a movie theatre like room. Bungie is one of the few companies out there following Blizzard's business model, which is producing innovative games of the utmost quality. They are definitely on the right path, and this year's E3 show helps prove that!
| Halo - One of the best games of the show and showing an incredible amount of promise. The movie Bungie wowed crowds with demonstrated the ability to tell a good story while providing visuals good enough to make an entire full length feature film out of. The 3D engine they have developed allows players to venture in and out of buildings, explore vastly detailed landscapes and have epic battles on alien worlds. In some ways, the game reminded me of Team Fortress, which was shown at last year's E3 show. Halo is far more than your typical shoot em up. The real time rendered sequences shown at the show are as impressive as any CGI movie you have seen because of the excellent use of the 3D camera and scripting. The game is was roughly 60% complete when shown at E3. |
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Oni - Oni makes a return this year. Bungie's business model starts with the development of games by creating the game engine and the environments, so by looking at screenshot's alone, you can't really tell that most of the development team's time has gone into completing the levels of the game for many platforms, including PC, MAC, and PSX 2. Oni is an action game concentrating on hand to hand combat. Your character will have many moves and combos, and for those tough situations, you will also have the ability to use a variety of guns, from pistols to rocket launchers. Look for this game to hit store shelves in Fall of 2000. |
